Friday, July 19, 2013

Mobile Device Security

I rarely admit to my motorcycle friends (and anyone else really) that in another life I am a pretty serious geek. After enough years of watching people's eye glaze over mid-conversation you learn it's just not worth bringing up...

Every once in a while something pops up that I can't at least try to share:

Last month, Paul Stoute didn't have facial recognition securing his mobile phone. That changed rather quickly after his 14-month-old daughter, Sorella, opened the eBay app on her dad's phone, clicked around a bit, and wound up buying him a a 1962 Austin Healey Sprite. Stoute, who lives in Portland, Oregon, US, only found out about his new car when he got a congratulatory note from eBay. He and his wife's reaction was, initially at least, mild panic, he told KOIN 6 News, as they fretted over what they should do and how they couldn't really afford it. Eventually, they decided to keep the car, which Sorella bought for $225. The Austin Healey, fortunately enough, was located within a 20-minute drive. Given it was eBay, it could have been a lot further away.

Stoute said he'd like to restore the car, having done auto body work in the past, and has started a page on a fundraiser website to make it happen. That way, he could give Sorella her car, maybe for her 16th birthday or for graduation. “I’m just glad she didn’t buy the $38,000 Porsche I was looking at."